- Downstate Arbitration hearing sites
- Downstate review hearing sites
- How to contact arbitrator or commissioner
- How to request case records
- File a FOIA Request
- FOIA request, how to
- IWCC telephone directory by department
- Illinois Dept. of Insurance
- How to retrieve exhibits?
- Where can I learn the basics about workers' compensation?
- Where can I find the awards for loss of body parts?
- Where can I find training programs on workers' comp or occupational safety?
- What is the history of workers' compensation?
- How does the Family and Medical Leave Act interact with workers' compensation?
- How do I submit video evidence to the Commission?
- What does it mean for a case to be above the red line?
- Why was my settlement contract returned to me without being approved?
- How can I determine the hearing site to which my case will be assigned?
- Where will my Downstate Arbitration hearing be held?
- Where will my Downstate Commission-level (review) hearing be held?
- How do I request security for a hearing?
- How can I get help accessing a hearing site?
- How can I get a copy of a decision, approved settlement, or application?
- My case was settled, but it still appears on the call sheets. What should I do?
- How much does a transcript cost?
- How do I calculate the interest due on arbitration awards?
- What are the various Commission timelines I need to know?
- What is voluntary binding arbitration?
- What is the state mileage rate?
- Can I contact my arbitrator or commissioner?
- What does the Illinois Workers' Compensation Act require of employers?
- How do I test an injured worker for drugs or alcohol?
- My injury occurred a long time ago. How come the Commission hasn't sent me any money?
- Will the IWCC give me an interpreter?
- How come I haven't had a trial yet?
- How do I find a lawyer?
- My lawyer isn't treating me right. Can the Commission help me?
- The Commission resolved my case, but the insurance company won't pay me. What should I do?
- My client does not have a valid photo ID. How can we conduct a hearing in Chicago?
Quick links
Downstate Arbitration hearing sites
Downstate review hearing sites
How to contact arbitrator or commissioner
Contact with arbitrators and commissioners should be limited to scheduling. The best way to make contact is by sending an email with a copy (“cc”) to the other party. Commission rules (7020.10(b)) require that any correspondence addressed to the Commission related to a pending matter must be sent to all parties at the time it is sent to the Commission, and must list the parties to whom copies have been sent. One-sided or ex parte communication is prohibited.
If you must contact an arbitrator in person, you should appear at a scheduled status call and give proper notice to the other party in advance of appearing. If you must contact a commissioner in person, you should appear at a scheduled review call and give proper notice to the other party in advance of appearing.
Questions relating to general procedures or case status should be directed to the Public Information Unit (312-814-6611); toll-free winthin Illinois (866-352-3033).
How to request case records
Case Search: Check HERE first
Copies of settlement contracts or applications (if you are a party to the case), Email your request to: wcc.recordrequest@illinois.gov
Commission level decisions: Search HERE
To file a FOIA request, submit your request through the IWCC FOIA portal by clicking here.
For information on how to fill out the FOIA request form, click here.
File a FOIA Request
FOIA request, how to
IWCC telephone directory by department
Illinois Dept. of Insurance
How to retrieve exhibits?
NOTICE TO THE BAR AND ALL LITIGANTS
Please take Notice of the promulgation of new Rules and/or modification of existing Rules (effective April 28, 2023) pertaining to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. Effective June 1, 2023, the IWCC will now require parties to retrieve their exhibits within thirty (30) days after they have received Notice from the Commission. Further, parties will now be responsible for retaining their own physical media exhibits (e.g., DVD disc or flash drive) for future delivery to a Court.
The IWCC will no longer indefinitely retain paper copies of records submitted by the parties at Hearing. The IWCC is now able to retain such documents in an electronic format consistent with the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act [815 ILCS 333] and consistent with Rules of the IWCC found at 50 Ill. Adm. Code 9030.70.
Section 9030.70 Rules of Evidence, states in pertinent part:
b) Exhibits offered in evidence, whether admitted or rejected, shall be retained by the assigned Arbitrator or Commissioner until a decision is issued in the matter. Exhibits may not be removed by the parties. Once a final decision is rendered, except as otherwise provided in this Part, exhibits shall be retained by the Commission pursuant to the requirements of Section 17 of the Act.
c) Pursuant to 50 Ill. Adm. Code 9015.10 and 9015.20 and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act [815 ILCS 333], any documents or records retained by the Commission may be retained in electronic format.
Effective June 1, 2023, and until further notice, the IWCC will no longer retain Hearing Exhibits indefinitely. After a Hearing has been completed, and subsequent to the entry of such Hearing Exhibits into the IWCC Portal, the parties will receive notice from the IWCC to retrieve their Hearing Exhibits. Thereafter, the parties will have thirty (30) days to retrieve any Hearing Exhibits from the IWCC. Hearing Exhibits will include both paper documents and Exhibits submitted in some other form of media (e.g., a DVD disc or USB flash drive).
If a party submits a video exhibit, e.g., on DVD disc or flash drive, that video exhibit will be saved in the IWCC Portal. The party will be notified and required to retrieve said exhibit (media) and retain it for future use by a Court. Neither the Circuit Courts nor the Appellate Court have the capacity to receive video from the IWCC. It will be the responsibility of the party that offered the video exhibit at Hearing to retain the original media and make the same available to the Courts.
If there is a dispute between the parties as to the correctness or completeness of a video exhibit after a Decision is rendered by the IWCC, the Commission will rely upon the video entered in the IWCC portal and certify the correctness and completeness of the disputed video exhibit. The Secretary of the IWCC will certify the correctness of a video exhibit upon request of either party to the matter by comparison of same to the video previously entered into the IWCC portal.
